Eyes Wide Shut
by robindjtsd11
Summary: Red X is a teenager living in Gotham City. He steals from the wealthy for just enough money to pay the bills for himself and his abusive father. When he catches the eye of a dangerous man can Robin and his teammates save Red X before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

**This is for a challenge on the forum: Young Justice Fanfiction Challenges from the lovely scarlett mist. I haven't written anything in a while because I've been so busy and I had no inspiration, but now that my volleyball season is over I found some inspiration I will be writing! Hope you enjoy it!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or anything else mentioned in this story except for my character Shane.<br>Warning: Some child abuse.**

* * *

><p>Red X crouched atop the expensive high-rise building and looked across the street at his target. This building was much more expensive and luxurious than the one he was currently crouching on. It was made entirely of reflective glass, the kind where you could see yourself as clearly as a mirror, but you could never look in. The street below was silent except for the lone car that cut through the darkness. No one was on the street at this late an hour because this was Gotham City and they probably valued their lives.<p>

The young thief continued crouching on the rooftop, studying the other building with a quiet intensity, all the while blending in with the shadows. He had gone over the floor plans, the alarm codes, positions of the security cameras, and how long his target would be out. His target was the wealthy Hewbert Dunn, an entrepreneur that resulted to using hired thugs to get smaller companies to buy his stocks. This made Red X feel better about stealing twenty thousand dollars from this billionaire.

He paused for a moment to prep himself. X pulled out his grapple gun and checked to make sure it wouldn't fail him. He shoved it back into his steel belt and fixed his mask. His costume was a mixture of spandex and some kind of body armor; he was able to move freely, but he still had some protection against knives. His domino mask is red with white lenses. On his torso is an uneven red X covering half of his chest, hence his name. Inside the mask are infrared eye lenses so he can detect invisible security lasers. His hands are protected by black gloves with reinforced knuckles and steel-toed combat boots protect his feet. He had stolen the suit from a nameless branch of Wayne Enterprises that specialized in defense for the army. They probably still didn't know that the suit was missing.

The time had come. Red X took one last breath before whipping out his grapple gun and shooting it at the roof of his target building. He was already swinging halfway across the void within the same breath. This was his favorite part; the real reason why he did things that most people would consider illegal. He loved the exhilaration of having the ground rush up to meet him and then, with adrenaline pumping through his veins, having the rope go taught and having his momentum carry him to his destination.

The rooftop garden was dark and gloomy, all the lights were off. Still in the shadows, the young thief shoved his grapple gun back into his belt and pulled out a remote control looking device. He pushed a green button, waited four seconds and then pushed a red button near the top. Unbeknownst to any security guard watching the camera feeds, they were viewing a four second video loop, keeping the thief safe while he went about his work.

A branch snapped and he quickly rolled behind a bush, his heart thundering in his chest. A guard with a flashlight strolled by him looking bored. The guard was not in his information which made things complicated. Quickly before the guard could react, Red X shot forward and hit him upside the back of his head. The nameless guard crumpled to the ground and X gently dragged him to behind the bush that he was just hiding behind.

"Sorry," he whispered, feeling bad that he had taken the guard by surprise.

Quickly darting through the garden, he flipped on his infrared lenses to check to see if there were any more life-forms on this floor. There were none. He quietly opened the heavy glass door which the guard had so helpfully left unlocked. The thief closed it and turned around, eyes widening in excitement. Red security beams crisscrossed the room in front of him, the master bedroom, clearly visible without the aid of his infrared. According to his information, the room that housed his prize was one door over on the left.

Red X shut off his infrared, not needing them for this part of the job. Jumping up and down for a second to get his muscles loose, he jumped over the first beam and continued into a roll underneath the second one. Crouching, he did a front hand spring, twisting his body over two others and then tucking his legs to his chest as he landed in a roll underneath another laser. He gingerly untangled his legs from his arms and crawled underneath the last laser beam.

His heart was pounding in his chest and underneath his mask, Red X was smiling with excitement. This is what he craved; a mixture of adrenaline, excitement, and danger. Shaking himself to get himself focused, he peered at the keypad. The keypad was a standard four digit code that opened a heavy, steel door which was powered by electricity. If he made one mistake, the alarms would go off and he would be caught.

He carefully lifted the covering off of the keypad and looked for any hidden traps. Finding none, he silently entered the four digit combination that would let him claim his prize. He held his breath and waited as the code was processed and then sighed with relief as it was accepted and the door clicked open. Lightly pushing it open, his eyes widened with excitement again.

Glittering gems and diamonds sitting atop gold bricks covered the shelves. Red X couldn't use any of that though because people would get suspicious if they found a teenager fencing a rock worth one million dollars. He headed straight to the back cabinet which, if his information was correct, held the green. He opened the drawer with a click and unceremoniously grabbed the twenty dollar bills and stuffed them into a burlap sack he found in the corner.

Feeling satisfied that the bag felt heavy enough, he tied the top shut and kicked the drawer closed with his foot. X made for his getaway, shutting the door behind him with a dull clang. His only problem left was the security beams that he had to get himself and the bag through, without setting any off.

The beams ceased to be an issue when they suddenly shut off as the lights turned on and a loud click sounded behind his head. Startled, the thief whirled around and to his surprise he found a mean looking guard pointing a gun at his head.

"Don't move," he barked out, his voice sounded like he had one too many cigarettes in his lifetime. X shifted his body so it would look like he was shifting the burlap bag, but he also moved his free hand to the back of his belt where his favorite pocket was located. The guard took a firm step forward and Red X could tell that this one would not go down as easily as the guard in the garden had.

"No, thanks," Red X said, smirking with determination underneath the mask. He brought the object he was looking for from behind his back and with a well practiced flick of his wrist, the throwing star flew out and connected with the guards hands, making him drop the gun. After dropping the bag stuffed with money, X was on him in a flash, sideswiping him with a powerful kick. The guard fell to the floor, but quickly rolled over and came at Red X with fists flying. One blow glanced off his shoulder, adding to the already full collection of bruises he had. The thief bobbed and weaved, sending a few jabs to his attackers face before tensing his leg muscles and jumping over the guard.

Mid jump, Red X grabbed the guard's shoulders and flipped him over and ended the fight with a well aimed punch to the temple. Satisfied with his fighting ability, he grabbed the sack and made for the exit. He kicked open the door to the garden and ran through the trees and bushes. In the darkness, it seemed as if their branches were trying to lean out and catch him. Jerking out the grapple gun again, he shot it on the rooftop he was on before.

He swung out through the air and was reminded why he loved stealing from the rich. He landed on the rooftop and took off running. He still wasn't sure how that guard caught him. Maybe he got suspicious when his buddy didn't radio back? Did the cameras not play the four second loop? Was he too loud? Red X didn't find this minor detail important enough to hinder his escape so he kept on running, keeping to the shadows.

He didn't expect the black rope that wrapped around his legs. He flailed and fell to the rooftop gracelessly. His prize slid across the roof and landed at the edge. He heard a creepy laughter echo and saw the shadow of a person on the building next to his. He reached towards his x-shaped throwing star and started to cut through the ropes.

"I'm guessing that the money in the sack isn't yours by the way you were running," a strange, young voice asked as it dropped down from the roof. Red X's eyes opened in surprise as he saw the red, black, and yellow figure step out of the shadows. The thief mentally cursed himself as Robin the Boy Wonder began to talk again. He was in big trouble if he had to fight Robin and the Batman at the same time, but the older vigilante did not seem to be a problem because he was no where to be found. That didn't mean anything, though.

"I'll just ask once that you give up the chase and turn yourself in so I don't have to beat you up," the teenager said, amiably. X cut through the ropes and did a back handspring to get to his feet.

"Sorry, kid. No can do and isn't it past your bedtime?" Red X asked, his voice sarcastic. He nonchalantly moved towards his bag while keeping his eyes focused on Robin. Still no sign of the bat.

"Har har," Robin fake laughed. "Like I haven't heard that one before. Last chance because I really want to kick your butt right now." He shifted himself into an aggressive stance. Instead of answering Red X threw a X-shuriken at him and followed it through with a kick. Robin did a back flip, avoiding both attacks and countered, sending a birdarang back at the young thief. This fight was going to be more interesting than any other he had ever had. Red X twisted out of the way at the last second and blocked a punch.

"So, what's your name? Is it something lame like Red Mask?" Robin asked barely out of breath.

Red X blocked a jab to his stomach before replying,"You're one to talk. Robin, seriously? Did your mom name you that? The name's X, by the way. Red X ." Robin didn't reply to that, but just gritted his teeth and fought with an angry intensity. The thief was taken by surprise.

They kept going, twisting, blocking, punching, kicking, and showing off the occasional acrobatic move. They were pretty evenly matched, but Robin soon got the upper hand. He had X pinned underneath him, struggling.

"Where's daddy bats, kiddo?" He growled. He lashed out with his knee and grunting, Robin rolled off of him.

"He had other business to take care of," he said with a hint of underlying emotion that X couldn't identify. Disappointment? Bitterness? They stayed glaring at each other, trying to anticipate the other's next move. After a few beats of tense silence, they both reached for their shuriken/birdarang at the same time. Robin threw it at the bag containing X's money and Red X threw his at Robin making him fall backwards out of the way. The bag tumbled off the roof and Red X saw his chance at escape. While Robin was still rolling out of the way of his shuriken, he bounded towards the edge.

"Well it's been an honor, bird boy, but I'm afraid it's getting late and I have to run," he said giving a mock salute. He twisted and dove off of the roof. Red X ripped out his grappling gun as he fell headfirst after his money. The wind ripped through his shaggy hair, half blinding him. He counted down the seconds until impact.

Three, the bag was right in front of him.

Two, his fingertips brushed against it and he shot off a line.

Three, the ground was coming up fast and he could see the cracks on the sidewalk.

Then his line snagged and pulled tight. It carried him out of sight into the darkness of the night with the bag clutched tightly in his fist, a few bills fluttering in the breeze. The Boy Wonder ran to the edge of the building and looked down. He found nothing , save for the few bills drifting along. He grabbed one in his fist.

"Who is Red X?" Robin asked himself quietly. He didn't notice the figure in the distance, holding up the binoculars that the mysterious figure had used to watch the entire fight and the young thief's heist. The person in question smiled to itself before disappearing into the night.

* * *

><p>Red X climbed in through his bedroom window and flopped down on his bed. He tore his mask off and ran a hand through his windblown, blonde hair. He sighed with contentment. He made off with a little over twenty grand, he didn't get caught, and had the most evenly matched fight he's ever had with <em>the<em> Robin, partner to _the_ Batman. This was probably the best heist he had ever pulled and that list went all the way back to the first grade, when he first stole a piece of candy from the teacher's desk when she was in the bathroom.

He listened to the sounds of his dingy two bedroom house and he could faintly hear the TV on downstairs turned to wrestling. That was a bad sign; it meant his father was drinking. He quickly pulled off his costume, stuffed it in a locked box underneath his bed along with the money, and put on some pajama pants. His room was small and contained an even smaller bed, a dresser with a mirror and a rolling chair. He had tried to paint the walls and to put up posters, but the air still had a depressed feeling to it.

He sat in his grimy chair and looked in the mirror to assess the damage done to his body. He wasn't overly muscular, but he wasn't skinny. He was lean with a thin layer of muscles underneath the skin, the kind of lean that only a kid from the slums could get. His shaggy blonde hair made him look like a surfer even though he had never touched a surfboard in his life. His eyes were a shocking green that hid all of his emotions and made you wonder what he was thinking about. He had one jagged scar from his right eyebrow to his hair line from where his father had drank a little too much and thought that he could play baseball with beer bottles. The only ugly thing about him was the assortment of bruises and scars that covered most of his body below the neck. Some of them were from his night gig, others were from home.

Sighing he pushed away from the mirror and stood up to turn off the light. Tomorrow or rather today, since it was one in the morning, was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break and he had five tests that he didn't study for. He also had to pay the bills that his unemployed father couldn't pay with the money he earned tonight and give the rest away to charities. He was a frequent donater to the Red Cross Foundation, Susan G. Komen For the Cure, and SADD charities. He felt that it was better to give the money to people that would use it to help other rather than to buy ten Porsches that you would never drive.

He was just about to climb into to bed when his father thundered up the stairs yelling, "Shane!" He flung the door open, which hit the wall leaving a crack.

"You! Boy!" His very drunk father yelled at him. The young thief cringed in fear at his father. "We're out of beer! You drank it all didn't you?" His father was slurring which was a very, very bad sign.

"N-no, Dad. I didn't drink any," he stammered. His father responded with a backhand that caught the boy on the chin and spun him around. He yelped in pain and surprise.

"You ungrateful boy! I'll teach you to mess with me," his father roared, bearing down on him. The thief didn't fight back. He took the beating without any protest.

This boy steals from billionaires, he beat Robin the Boy Wonder in hand-to-hand combat, he gives thousands of dollars to charities.

His name is Shane Harris and at night he goes by Red X.

* * *

><p><strong>R&amp;R! Tell me if you like it, hate it, want me to add something, or if you can guess who the mysterious figure is.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys... I know that it's been way too long, but before you try to strangle me I do have a very long explanation for why I was not able to update. Well, first we had a blizzard that knocked down a power line right as I had finished typing the rough draft, so my document did not save and I didn't have any power for the next week. Then I got a crapload of essays that I had to write out by hand and candlelight because there was no power! Then, as I was typing up the final draft, my laptop died. So after a huge headache, I finally retyped it, saving it every five minutes of course, and now I'm uploading it for my lovely readers. Thanks so much for all your faves and reviews; it really inspired me to keep writing. Hope you enjoy the story! P.S. I changed Red X's costume description in chapter one because I wanted to differentiate between the one in the Teen Titans show and my version of the thief.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you got your butt handed to you by a third-rate cat burglar," Wally West, AKA the Kid Flash, exclaimed to his best friend, Robin the Boy Wonder. It was the day after the Red X incident and Robin had come to the mountain base right after school to hang out with his teammates. He was now officially on Thanksgiving break for the next week, but even with the euphoria of no school, he still felt irritated about the confrontation with the masked thief. Robin had just finished telling Wally about what had happened while they were sitting at the kitchen counter sharing a plate of cookies and milk that M'gann had made for them before she left to go on a date with Superboy. Aqualad was away with Aquaman and Artemis was in the archery room, which left the two boys alone to talk.<p>

"I didn't get my butt handed to me," Robin grumbled, putting his head on his hands. "He got away and disappeared when he jumped off the roof. I couldn't find a trail after that." The Boy Wonder picked a new cookie and dipped it in his glass of milk, gesturing at Wally to have the rest of the plate. Wally happily complied, pulling the plate closer to himself and simultaneously shoving three cookies in his mouths. There was a comfortable silence, only broken by the hum of the refrigerator and Wally's noisy chewing. Robin watched a bead of condensation roll down the outside of the glass. Wally finished chewing his mouthful and picked up another cookie before turning to his friend.

"Did you ask Batman for help?" The speedster asked curiously. Robin scowled at his friend and shook his head.

"Of course not!" Robin said. "I want to catch Red X for myself." He pounded his fist on the counter for emphasis and Wally rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm going to help you do it," Wally said, smiling as if he had told Robin that he won the lottery. Robin, however, laughed out loud. "What?" He asked indignantly. "It'll be asterous and you know it." Robin just smirked and shook his head.

"You want to come to Gotham City with me?" Robin asked incredulously. Wally nodded enthusiastically, his red haired head blurring a little. "Just promise not to get us killed by flirting with Catwoman or anyone with a pulse." Robin joked.

"I don't flirt with everything that has a pulse," he protested, but was interrupted when a voice rang out in the quiet kitchen.

"You do too, Baywatch," Artemis said, walking into the kitchen. She stopped by the counter and stole a cookie off the nearly empty plate before Wally could stop her. "Robin, if you need my help, I know Gotham very well. I grew up there, before, um, moving to Star City to be with Green Arrow."

"No way! You're not tagging along. And were you eavesdropping on us?" Wally said angrily, rising off his stool and standing in front of the archer. Artemis continued to eat her cookie and glare at the speedster.

"You done?" She asked mockingly. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the speedster. "I was getting a bottled water and caught the tail end of your conversation." Artemis then turned to Robin and ignored Wally. "You could probably use a more competent fighter than Kid Mouth over there." She jerked her thumb and the red head, who spluttered indignantly. Robin thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Thanks. I can use all the help I can get," he said smiling at the archer, who waved away his words and continued to the fridge for her water. Wally slouched on his chair with his arms across his chest and pouted. Robin clapped his hands together, excitement replacing the irritation from earlier. "Let's see what we can dig up about Red X."

* * *

><p>"Shane! Over here," Samantha Crain called out to her best friend. Sam, one of the smartest kids in their school, was able to hack into just about any computer or security program and supplied Red X with the information he needed on his targets. The petite girl jumped up and down, waving her friend over to her locker. She got a few stares, but she didn't care what the student body thought about her, which was what Shane liked the most about Sam.<p>

The teen thief shook his head smiling and slammed his locker shut which was, to him, the sound that meant the end of the school and his freedom. After he left the school, Shane Harris would officially be on Thanksgiving break. This is something that most high school sophomores would agree should be celebrated and Shane was no exception to the rule. He had plans to take Sam to the big football game tonight at the school. Cutting through the throng of students that were surging towards the outside world, he made it to Sam and gave her a hug.

"Hello, beautiful. How was your day?" He asked her, giving her a crooked smile and waiting for the onslaught of complaints about homework and teachers that were part of their daily after school routine.

"Oh, you know, the usual. My trig teacher gave us about ten thousand pages of homework on triangles and who even cares that much..." She began and he tuned her out, nodding and sympathizing with her at the appropriate parts. Soon, his mind began to wander as they made it through the main entrance doors and he began to think about last night's heist. The thrill of fighting Robin and escaping with his loot was still fresh in his mind. He remembered the adrenaline rush he received from jumping off that rooftop and falling faster and faster, the feeling of the wind rushing through his hair. He wasn't proud of it, but he was a major adrenaline junkie; he couldn't help it. At least it was safer than drugs, most of the time. He was brought back to reality by Sam calling his name.

"Shane! Were you listening to a word I said?" She asked, exasperated. They had stopped walking and she was impatiently tapping her foot.

"Yeah, sorry. I was thinking about last night," he whispered excitedly. Sam rolled her eyes, knowing that she would get the full story later. They had made it to the outside stairs and were about to leave school grounds when a bully pushed a smaller kid to the asphalt. She turned to tell Shane tonot to get involved with it, but he was already halfway across the parking lot, walking with determined steps.

"You loser! You gave me the test answers and I failed. I ain't allowed to play in the big game tonight, so now I'm gonna' take it out on your face!" The bully, a big, ugly linebacker for the school team picked the poor kid up by the front of his shirt with one hand. The other was already pulled back into a fist, poised to hit. The tormenter is a senior named Todd Ank, but people just call him Tank because of his large girth. Not the sharpest, or prettiest, tool in the shed, Tank uses his larger size to bully anyone smaller than him into giving him their homework and test answers, which is how the freshman scrambling to release himself from Tank's grasp, arrived in this situation.

Just as the bully was going to strike his victim, Shane grabbed the fist.

"Pick on someone your own size," he growled menacingly. The bully laughed in his face and dropped the freshman, apparently forgetting about him. The freshman gratefully nodded at Shane in thanks and scurried off before he was remembered. Tank turned and pushed Shane in the chest and he stumbled back a few steps. Sam was torn between letting Shane teach the big loser a lesson or saving the bully from getting the crap beat out of him.

"Like you, dipshit?" He asked, his breath hot on Shane's face. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. He looked over at Sam who was looking at him worriedly, one foot pointed in his direction. "You shouldn't have interfered 'cause now I'm gonna' take my frustration out on you," the football player growled, grabbing the front of Shane's shirt this time. Shane smirked, the adrenaline already pumping through his veins with anticipation.

He stomped on the bully's foot and then sucker punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. While the kid was bent over clutching his stomach and groaning, Shane grabbed his opponent's head and smashed his knee into Tank's face. He heard a crack and blood started to gush from his nose. Shane threw him to the ground with disgust. He turned to Sam, giving her a crooked smile, but she rolled her eyes again.

"Shane Harris! Step into my office, please." Shane cringed and sighed, turning to face the source of the voice. It was his assistant principle Mr. Blight. He was an balding man in his fifties that hated anyone not on a sports team and was notorious for making the student body miserable if he caught you doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. Shane looked back over at Sam who was mouthing, I'll call you later, to him. She quickly walked away before she got punished for being involved. "Get inside now, young man!"

Shane huffed and walked over to Mr. Blight, leaving Tank on the ground clutching his nose and howling like a baby. The man held the door open for him and pointed to an open doorway close to the main entrance. Shane stalked in and flopped down on an empty chair in front of the assistant principal's desk. He waited for the repercussions that came with protecting an innocent boy from a bully. Now he knew how Batman felt when the police turned against him.

The desk was bare of any pictures of family because his wife had recently divorced him and who could blame her. The assistant principal strolled over to his desk with an arrogant air and sat down, facing Shane and clasping his hands together.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, young man?" Mr. Blight asked. He had a habit for calling his victims young man or young lady when he was about to ruin their week. Shane knew that trying to argue with this man was futile and that even if he was right, Mr. Blight would still favor the bully, but that didn't stop him from trying. "I believe that Mr. Ank may have a broken nose, judging from the amount of blood on the faculty parking lot."

"Mr. Blight, it wasn't my fault! That jerk was picking on this kid and I had to step in or he would have been pummeled-" Mr. Blight waved his hand, cutting Shane off.

"Excuses, excuses, young man. All I saw was poor Mr. Ank being smacked around for no reason. And judging from the bruise on your chin," Shane touched his chin gingerly, keeping to himself that he didn't receive the bruise from the confrontation with the bully. "-he was probably trying to defend himself against your merciless attack. He probably won't even be able to play in today's game because of you." The old man paused for dramatic effect. "When school resumes after the break, you will have one week's detention." Shane jumped up in protest.

"But that's not fair!" Mr. Blight shook his head.

"Now, young man, I know that these past few months have been hard for you since the death of your mother, but that does not mean you can take your anger out on innocent boys. Maybe you would benefit from some afterschool counseling," Blight said disdainfully, but this was said to an empty seat because Shane was already at the door.

"You know nothing about me," he said darkly before slamming the door shut. The sound echoed throughout the corridor, making several people turn their heads. He shouldered his backpack and stalked out of the school. The start to his spring break was not starting out as well as he had hoped.

* * *

><p>Shane's mood was still dark as he loitered across the street from the Goodwill shop. He tried to dispel the memories that Mr. Blight had dredged up at the mention of his mother. he didn't want to talk about her; didn't want to think about her. It hurt too much. He shook his head viciously before calming down and taking a seat on a bus stop bench. A cheery realtor peered out from behind him, promising to help him locate his dream home.<p>

He looked back up towards the charity store, watching the cashier behind the counter. He was waiting for her to leave and do something in the back room so he could drop off the money in the charitable donations box. He didn't want to be asked any questions about the amount of money he was carrying: ten thousand dollars worth. After nursing his wounds last night, he had counted and split the loot in half, keeping ten thousand for himself to pay for whatever needed to be paid for at home.

Finally, the cashier moved away from the counter and walked out of sight. Working quickly, Shane pulled on his gloves, so he wouldn't leave any fingerprints and grabbed the bag of money from his backpack. Slinging the pack over his shoulder, he dashed across the empty street. As soon as his feet touched the pavement he went into "stealth mode" and quietly opened the door, making sure the bells wouldn't jingle. He made sure there was no-one in sight before ripping open the box, a large plain one only a quarter of the way filled up with donations that sat on top of the front counter and opened his burlap sack. The money poured out in a stream of green, stopping when the box was two thirds of the way filled.

Satisfied with his work, he quickly shut the undecorated lid, save for the word 'Donations' written on it in black marker, and made his way back into the chilly November afternoon. Shane stuffed the empty bag into his backpack and continued down the street. His bad mood from earlier had lifted considerably and even started to whistle to himself.

He began to plot out the rest of his day, starting with going home to change before walking over to Sam's house and escorting her to the big football game that started at seven. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice the white-haired man until he was standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Shane," the mysterious man greeted him. Shane took a step back, feeling a little uneasy. The man was tall and well built, as if he had been born in a gym. He looked young, but his short, army-like white hair made him look older. Half of his face was covered by large, black sunglasses that Shane could see his own reflection in.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked politely, wondering how the hell this stranger knew his name.

"Not as well as I know you," the man said with a smirk. "Though I am hoping to get to know you a lot more in time." The last part sent shivers down Shane's spine and his mind started to churn up escape strategies. Shane decided to play the role of a naive schoolboy, to have the man underestimate him.

"I think you have the wrong-" Shane began, but was cut off when the guy interrupted him.

"How did you come by so much money? Did you get win it from the lottery?" The stranger questioned rudely; Shane bristled with anger. He was also a little fearful that the man was going to report him to the police for stealing.

"You don't know me, now get out of the way before I move you myself," he snarled and pushed past him. The white-haired man just laughed and grabbed Shane's arm in a death grip.

"Feisty, I like it," he chuckled. With his next words, the stranger lowered his voice to a whisper so that quiet, that Shane had to strain to hear it even though he was standing right next to the man. "I'll see you again very soon, Red X."

Shane's body went cold and his heart beat quickened to a pace that had him thinking that it was going to bounce itself right out of his chest. He cursed himself mentally for allowing someone to figure out his identity and he quickly thought of all the worst case scenarios that his enemies, the wealthy and influential people that he had stolen from, would do to him and his friends. When Shane finally came back to reality, the white-haired man was nowhere to be found and his departure left a steel weight in the pit of Shane's stomach.

He rubbed his face tiredly and then continued along the route that would lead to his house, but he quickened his pace and looked over his shoulder every few yards to make sure the mysterious man was not following him. Since he was the only person on that street, nobody had seen their confrontation and that had Shane worried. He considered not going to the football game with Sam, afraid that he might endanger her, but the desire to be with her outweighed his paranoia. He had no idea who the man in the sunglasses was or how he had come to know of his secret, but Shane knew that he would die before he hurt anybody, namely Sam.

Shane shook his head and laughed to himself because he knew that if it came down to a fight, he would have more than enough skill to win.

* * *

><p><strong>Can you guess who the guy after Shane is? I'll give you a hint. It's not Slade! He first appears in the 90s Batman comics and continues on through out the Robin and the Batgirl comics as well. I wanted to go with someone different because I think that Deathstroke is used way to much whenever Robin is involved, but this character is actually very similar to Slade and even teams up with him at one point. R&amp;R please. =)<strong>


End file.
